Mérges Sorcery
The Sumerian word “Mérges” can be translated to mean “poisonous” or “angry.” It is a fitting descriptor, therefore, for the brand of sorcery practiced by the Iltani bloodline. Iltani have the unique ability to distill their negative emotions (anger, spite, resentment, hatred, etc.) into rare and highly-specialized magical venoms. The secrets of Mérges Sorcery are jealously guarded and carefully passed down from one generation to the next. Iltani have been known to hunt down and kill undeserving Kindred who have learned of its mysteries.
All vampires who become skilled in Mérges Sorcery develop specialized, hollow fangs that can be used to administer venom. When not in use, the fangs fold back against the roof of the mouth and are enclosed in a membranous sheath.
All vampires who become skilled in Mérges Sorcery develop specialized, hollow fangs that can be used to administer venom. When not in use, the fangs fold back against the roof of the mouth and are enclosed in a membranous sheath.
Execution
Dice Pool: Resolve + Intimidation + Mérges Sorcery Because negative emotions are the source and fuel of Mérges Sorcery, characters with the Vice Wrath add +1 to relevant rolls. Conversely, characters with the Virtue Temperance take a -1 penalty to relevant rolls.
Dramatic Failure: The ritual fails spectacularly, and the character enters an immediate anger frenzy, which lasts for the rest of the scene.
Failure: The ritual fails entirely, but not dangerously. Willpower is consumed as normal, but the ritual has no effect.
Success: The ritual takes place as described.
Exceptional Success: In many cases, extra successes are their own reward, causing additional damage or conferring extra duration or capacity.
Dramatic Failure: The ritual fails spectacularly, and the character enters an immediate anger frenzy, which lasts for the rest of the scene.
Failure: The ritual fails entirely, but not dangerously. Willpower is consumed as normal, but the ritual has no effect.
Success: The ritual takes place as described.
Exceptional Success: In many cases, extra successes are their own reward, causing additional damage or conferring extra duration or capacity.
Components and tools
Cost: The use of Mérges Sorcery always costs the character one Willpower point. It is the Iltani’s own will that instigates a reaction between his hatred and the Beast within, and it is through this reaction that the venomous curse is formed. Willpower spent in this manner does not add three dice to activation rolls. (However, subsequent extended Mérges Sorcery rolls, past the initial activation roll, may be augmented by spending a point of Willpower).
Mérges Sorcery does not have the same linear progression that other Disciplines do. It is a character’s mastery that dictates the highest level of the rituals he may learn. For example, a character with two dots in Mérges Sorcery can know an unlimited number of level one and level two rituals (provided the experience points are paid to learn each), but he may not learn any level-three Mérges Sorcery rituals until his Mérges Sorcery level is increased to 3. Each time a character acquires a dot of Mérges Sorcery (including at character creation), he gains a ritual of that level at no additional cost. New rituals can be bought at a cost of two experience points multiplied by the level of the ritual.
To master Mérges Sorcery, an Iltani must never let go of his hatred. Instead, he must fuel it, control it, and transform it through his Beast. In the time that passes after his Embrace, a Viper gradually forgets how to forgive others, and he cannot recall what the peace of absolution felt like as a mortal. To an Iltani, anger is fuel, but because he never ceases to carry corrosive emotions within himself, his own hatred slowly begins to eat away at his Humanity. A character’s dots in Mérges Sorcery, subtracted from 10, is the maximum to which his Humanity may rise. For example, a character possesses Mérges Sorcery at level three. His maximum Humanity is therefore 7. If a character increases his Mérges score higher than his Humanity would normally allow, his Humanity immediately drops to the appropriate level and the player makes a Humanity roll to see if the character acquires a derangement in the process of heightening his occult knowledge. (See pp. 182-188 of Vampire: The Requiem for more on Humanity rolls and derangements.) If a character learns both Crúac and Mérges Sorcery, his Humanity is limited by the higher of the two traits.
Mérges Sorcery does not have the same linear progression that other Disciplines do. It is a character’s mastery that dictates the highest level of the rituals he may learn. For example, a character with two dots in Mérges Sorcery can know an unlimited number of level one and level two rituals (provided the experience points are paid to learn each), but he may not learn any level-three Mérges Sorcery rituals until his Mérges Sorcery level is increased to 3. Each time a character acquires a dot of Mérges Sorcery (including at character creation), he gains a ritual of that level at no additional cost. New rituals can be bought at a cost of two experience points multiplied by the level of the ritual.
To master Mérges Sorcery, an Iltani must never let go of his hatred. Instead, he must fuel it, control it, and transform it through his Beast. In the time that passes after his Embrace, a Viper gradually forgets how to forgive others, and he cannot recall what the peace of absolution felt like as a mortal. To an Iltani, anger is fuel, but because he never ceases to carry corrosive emotions within himself, his own hatred slowly begins to eat away at his Humanity. A character’s dots in Mérges Sorcery, subtracted from 10, is the maximum to which his Humanity may rise. For example, a character possesses Mérges Sorcery at level three. His maximum Humanity is therefore 7. If a character increases his Mérges score higher than his Humanity would normally allow, his Humanity immediately drops to the appropriate level and the player makes a Humanity roll to see if the character acquires a derangement in the process of heightening his occult knowledge. (See pp. 182-188 of Vampire: The Requiem for more on Humanity rolls and derangements.) If a character learns both Crúac and Mérges Sorcery, his Humanity is limited by the higher of the two traits.
Related Ethnicities
Extended. The number of successes required to activate a ritual is equal to the level of that ritual (so a level-three ritual requires three successes to enact). Each roll represents one turn of ritual casting. Note also that each point of damage incurred in a turn is a penalty to the next casting roll made for the character, in addition to any wound penalties suffered.
If a character fails to complete the ritual in time (such as by being sent into Torpor before accumulating enough successes) or decides to cancel the ritual before garnering enough successes to activate it, the effect simply fails. Any Willpower expenditures made are not recovered.
Suggested Modifiers Modifier | Situation
+2 | Power is turned against, or applies to, a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie (see p. 162 of Vampire: The Requiem).
— | There are no threats or distractions to bother the character.
-1 to -3 | The character is rushed or distracted, such as by invoking a ritual in combat or while trapped in a burning building. This penalty is cumulative with multiple distractions (such as by casting a ritual in combat during a hurricane). Successes gained on a meditation roll for the night (see p. 51 of the World of Darkness Rulebook) offset interruption penalties on a one-for-one basis.
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